365 stories of personal giving

I enjoy quotes very much…here are some that have inspired the Year of Giving. If you have a favorite quote, I encourage you to share it here.

Happiness [is] only real when shared. -Christopher McCandless

To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children…to leave the world a better place…to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded. inaccurately attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson

The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning. -Mitch Albom

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. -Winston Churchill

Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness. -Martin Luther King, Jr.

Everyone can be great because everyone can serve. -Martin Luther King, Jr.

Almost everyone – regardless of income, available time, age, and skills-can do something useful for others and, in the process, strengthen the fabric of our shared humanity. -William J. Clinton

We are not here merely to make a living. We are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. We are here to enrich the world, and we impoverish ourselves if we forget the errand. -Woodrow Wilson

Do all the good you can, by all the means you can

In all the ways you can, in all the places you can

To all the people you can, as long as you ever can. -The Kindness Prayer

The best use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it. -William James

From now on, any definition of a successful life must include serving others. – George H. W. Bush

You must give some time to your fellow men. Even if it’s a little thing, do something for others – something for which you get no pay but the privilege of doing it. - Albert Schweitzer

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you”

We need to be thankful for what we have and what we recieve.
I think this is an important quote, I heard it recently:
“God gives and forgives. Man gets and forgets.”

Also, the amount that we give does not matter, it is the intention that matters.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Save yourself from hellfire by giving even half a date-fruit in charity.”
He also said: “Actions are (judged) by intentions, so every man will have what he intended. “

“One thousand years from now, it will not matter the size of the house you lived in, or the type of car you drove; but the world may be different because you were important in the life of a child”. – anonymous

To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch…to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded. -Emerson

Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.
– unknown

Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly. -anonymous

“The definition of success–To laugh much; to win respect of intelligent persons and the affections of children; to earn the approbation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give one’s self; to leave the world a little better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition.; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm, and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived–this is to have succeeded”

Hi Reed… thanks for all that you do!! I like quotes, too. Here’s on:
“Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity and responsibility to give something back by becoming more.”
Tony Robbins

Go very gently today, for everyone you will meet is carrying an almost intolerable burden. – Michelle Flubert

When you’re interested in what you’re doing – whether it’s running a country newspaper or a grocery store or practicing psychiatry or writing a novel – if it’s not criminal, you’re a successful human, whether your name is household word throughout the land or unknown thirty miles away. – H.B.Fox

“The definition of success–To laugh much; to win respect of intelligent persons and the affections of children; to earn the approbation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give one’s self; to leave the world a little better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition.; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm, and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived–this is to have succeeded”

“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” Mark Twain

Make a donation

I gave $10 every day for a year. Would you make a $10 donation (that's less than 3 cents a day!) today to help those in need that I have met through the Year of Giving. You will get updates on how your donation is used.